Animal Species:Opah, Lampris guttatus (Brunnich, 1788)

The Opah is a distictively shaped spotted fish that lives worldwide in oceanic waters.

Standard Common Name

Opah

Alternative Name/s

The species has also been called Spotted Moonfish and Opal Fish.

Identification

The Opah is a deep-bodied, compressed fish. It is deep blue on the back grading to a lighter blue or silver on the belly. The body is covered with white spots and the fins are a vibrant red.

Size range

Opahs grow to over 1.5 m in length and can weigh over 70 kg.

Distribution

The species has a worldwide oceanic distribution. In Australia it is known from off northern New South Wales, around the south of the country including Tasmania, to south-western Western Australia.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.